Why NETWORK?

Networking (via attending events) is appalling for many. For some others, they do not feel it is necessary.

I used to be skeptical about networking too. In the past, corporate professionals attend big events upon company request but may still shy away from networking during the event. In the startup space, it's a religious crusade of events and networking.

The openness to networking is much bigger today. In fact it is fast becoming a criteria or condition for success.

How can you make it work?

1. Go with the right attitude

Learning could be a good place to start. In Singapore and increasingly in many cities, seminars, talks, fireside chats are free or cost below $50. Attend an event to stay on pulse of what's happening in the market, what are people talking about.

There is always something to learn at every event, with every encounter. Including knowing what's not for you.

2. Be nice. Be approachable.

Arrive earlier and stay a little later. Be somewhat proactive during breaks. Make it a point to smile, make some eye contact and initiate one or two conversations. It can be very intimidating. I have been to so many networking events in the last 2 years and it is still often intimidating for me. This is because sometimes it is the other party that is not keen on responding.

Hang in there. Practise a little small talk. Push yourself out of your comfort zone. If you managed to grab someone to go with you, do not get into a situation of alienating others from approaching you and your companion either.

Break into a group conversation sometimes. If you have never done before, it is not easy. Keep trying. Get over the fear.

3. Pick the best-fit networking event

Pick by topic or pick by nature of crowd. If you are female, there are lots of women events but they also differ by the segment of women they attract. Test. If one does not work, try another. Women events allow for more bonding, more conversations mostly. It pretty much depends if you are an entrepreneur looking for more support or you are a freelancer looking to find more opportunities or pick by topic of interest from pottery to music or pick up a soft skill like #storytelling.

Not all networking events need to be big. When I ran my storytelling public workshops and limit the participation to 12, I noticed that the networking effect is in fact so much more powerful - learning with a group of strangers and ending the day knowing more about them than maybe your colleagues. Check out she1K.com/stories or she1K.com/events to see how networking is a lot more genuine at our events.

I want to create the experience that I would like to have when I attend others' events - where networking is genuine and fruitful.

What has networking brought for me?

>> Networking ignited me to start a community

September 2016 I strolled into Slush, the world's largest startup community event. Because I was curious about what the phenomenon #startup meant, I made myself approach some young ladies who happened to be young entrepreneurs from Malaysia. This was not natural for me. Not knowing what startup is all about in an event that was huge so it could be overwhelming. But I wanted to find out so there was no better way but to engage with people there.

First I realised after talking to young entrepreneurs that I was not as obsolete as I thought I was. I was able to share with them business insights they had not considered for their business. Second, I realised that if I were to continue such conversations, I needed a reason for them to come back. Free volunteering or mentoring was not enough. So I decided to start Startup Asia Women , a community to empower women startups so that I could be found and not have to find.

>> Networking opened my eyes to so much I never knew

Once I went to more events, listening to the content presented as well as speaking to people at the event, I discovered so much I did not know I did not know. It is good to suspend any judgment sometimes and give it a real go at networking.

Having a purpose helps. When people understand your purpose, you are bound to meet people who will help and connect you with relevant people.

No idea needs to be perfect. In fact regard networking as your sounding board. It is an effective way to test by sharing what you have in mind and taking note of how others respond to ti.

>> Networking opened many doors for me

First you get invited to more events be it online, from communities or from people who want to help. Not all are relevant but it is a quick way to know what's out there. I started being a "judge" to screen startups - locally and abroad, invited to speak on panels and in companies and I landed a C-suite gig too, all because I #putmyselfoutthere and people connected me with others. I was not seeking nor asking. However as your purpose and intent pans out and your network widens, the ripple effect is rather amazing and not something you can really plan for.

One opportunity begets another. As I started sharing my thoughts and stories on Linkedin, it also gave a sense of credibility which led to success in fundraising for the maritime startup accelerator I was running.

Networking alone is not enough but it kicks things off for you.

>> Networking helps me find out what people need, what is trending in the market

Meeting people and seeing what other events are about helped me to find my own niche and ensure I did not overlap with others. That's just my preference. To always outdo myself as in finding a niche not filled by others. The applies to both content and format.

That is why I shifted 13 months ago to focus on corporate women through my flagship events WomenChangemakers. I also realised that whilst running diverse events served a purpose in my first year of wanting to learn about the startup eco-system, running one thing repeatedly consistently brought better mileage and impact. WomenChangemakers was borne accidentally as a favour to a fellow female at a co-working space but it has now morphed to a series that is much anticipated and portable globally.

I did not want another panel speaking superficially about topics. I did not want another panel of opinions that we would have heard of if you were a serial networker or the panel were not ready for opinions despite their experience in the field. I also wanted a space where networking was not intimidating, where strangers felt comfortable striking a conversation with each other. We have received overwhelming response that WomenChangemakers does just that and many connections made stayed beyond the event.

I felt compelled to reverse whatever I was personally irked by networking - to deliver an experience that I would have liked if I were attending someone else's event.

Besides the human element, the tech and knowledge component is extremely useful. If you want to know abut AI, blockchain, healthtech, edutech, VR, crypto, fundraising, etc there are many networking evenings who feature experts sharing or attend a trade show where there is also networking within the show.

>> Networking built my network

There are many post-networking opportunities too. You may be connected with people who wanted to connect with you post meeting you at an event. You could approach the speakers and fellow participants on Linkedin or Facebook to further a conversation or ask for help.

I believe in giving first. From my experience, the more I gave, the more I received.

Obviously if you did nothing with networking, then do not expect to get anything out of it. I learnt the art of being shameless. This was so unlike me when I was in my corporate career. In the startup world, they would call me a hustler. I ask for help in so many ways with so many angles when I need to solve a "problem".

When you reach out, you will also learn from how and what people refer you to.

>> Networking enhanced my profile

It's never just the one thing. Adding it all up, it helps your profile. The visibility can help you get more things done, easier and more comprehensively. Both onsite and online, they add up to how your positioning is reinforced.

I did not make time for networking when I was working intensively at corporate. Most of my jobs were regional but yet I did not take advantage of networking to widen my coverage and knowledge. It probably was less fashionable then, unlike the exponential possibilities available today. Co-working space and community pushes have created a whole new eco-system for knowledge sharing, community building and building personal networks.

If you dont know where to start, search facebook groups for your interests or search on peatix and eventbrite and facebook events for events to pursue. Meeting people is part of the learning.

What did I have to change to embrace networking?

a. be more social - both online and in person

b. be more intentional - embrace networking and/or events as a great source of knowledge and content and connections building

c. follow up after networking - I am not so organised where I mark on each person's card how I met them or connect via Linkedin everyone I have met. Some people do. But what I enjoy doing is surprise people by connecting them to a resource or a person, remembering something they were asking for in our conversation. This is a great way for people to remember you and be willing to help you in return one day when you ask.

d. be more supportive - I used to be more critical and cynical. Now I would be more quick to encourage. Simply being a good listener or be curious to ask for more clarification.

You are probably not wrong that some networking is a waste of time. Choose wisely. I am sharing as someone who did not prioritise this and realised I had no network when I returned to Singapore 2.5 years ago. Now being able to re-build in a rather short span of time, I would like to encourage more people to take advantage of this growing shift.

Christina Teo currently empowers she1K, a world's first angel collective for corporate exec women to empower, fund and board startups. She also runs a series called WomenChangemakers. The 9th WomenChangemakers will be in HK June 26, in New York Sept 7 and back in Singapore for a weekend bootcamp in October.